Aging is Inevitable, Injury Does Not Have To Be

We will all get older, some faster than others. No matter how much we deny it, time is an inevitability. So the goal then really becomes, how does one optimise one's life. Being someone pushing 40 this year, I am already starting to feel some of the rust accumulating. The long hours rooted to my desk listening to lectures and sitting for exams during this MBA definitely do not help; and I am sure it is more from that than anything else. Although, the years of beating my body up with different kinds of activities and accumulated injuries from my youth have not helped either. However, the reality remains that the longer we stay still as we age, the worse off we will be. I've often mentioned to my older patients that one of the worst things you can do to yourself as you get older is not move. For many including myself, exercise becomes more and more integral to living as we get older. Many studies have shown that exercise is in fact, the magic "pill." It lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic diseases, and improves mental health, to name a few. It even decreases the risk of falling. All for the paltry price of 30-60 minutes of your day. And you don't even have to pay everything up front. You can split that time up throughout your day and still get significant benefits.

Of course, that number, 30-60, can sometimes be quite daunting for some people, especially those who are not used to exercising. So many questions that need answering! That is why I am glad that Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine came out with a short but very informative video on 6 ways to remain active as we get older. In it, I appreciated a few things that I believe will be helpful to those that watch it.

The first step is always the warm up, and I am glad it started with that. It also mentions examples, as well as the rationale for doing these activities. Warm-ups are most often neglected and thought of as a waste of time. But in fact, it is probably one of the most important parts of exercise with aging, along with recovery. I also liked that the video focused on what an individual needs in terms of the exercise itself: that of QUALITY, FUNCTION, BALANCE, AND STRENGTH. These are all major components of exercise as we age. It is also notable that the emphasis is no longer on quantity of exercise, but rather quality, and that balance and strength are included in that equation. I believe a major reason for this is that a focus on these factors allows the body to adapt more efficiently as we age, and allows for active rest to be incorporated into exercise as well. This kind of regimen also very intentionally tries to help reduce the amounts and types of injury that we can sustain with exercise. Morever, studies also show that strength and balance exercises help decrease falls in the elderly; a very common cause of morbidity and mortality. The last bit is also often neglected, but very important. Getting regular check-ups may not have been common to us in our younger years, but as we age, our bodies do start becoming less efficient. And so we need to make sure we are on top of that as well.

All in all, I am quite glad that Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine came out with this video, and I hope it can be shared to those who need that extra bit of non-intimidating information about what they can do to stay healthy as they get older.